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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. spell — magic
  3. press — newspapers
  4. spell — letters
  5. capital — money
  6. spell — a short time
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. clip — to cut
  9. press — a publisher
  10. degree — temperature
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chair — a leader
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. degree — an amount
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. clip — a video
  18. capital — a city
  19. clip — for paper
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. degree — from a university
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. press — to push
  24. ruler — for measuring

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com